Photoreproduction process and apparatus



No. 625,734. Patented May 30; I899. J. T. BENTLEY. PHOTOREPRODUGTION PROCESS AND APPARATUS (Application filed may 26, 1897. Renewed June 24, 1898.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

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No. 625,734. Patented May 30, 1899. J. T. BENTLEY.

PHDTDREPRODUCTION PROCESS AND APPARATUS.

(Application filed May 26, 1897. Renewed June 94, 1898.) (Specimens) 2 SheetsSheet 2.

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' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

JOHN T. BENTLEY, OF ENGLEWOOD, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGrNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO THE LUOIFORM COMPANY, OF NE\V YORK.

PHOTOREPRODUCTION PROCESS AND APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 625,734, dated May 30, 1899.

Application filed May 26, 1897. Renewed June 24,1898. Serial No. 684,424. (Speoim'ensd T0 at whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, JOHN T. BENTLEY, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, residingin Englewood, in the county of Bergen and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Photoreproduction Processes and Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the art of photoreproduction, and more particularly relates to an improved process of and apparatus for the reduction of matter to the required size without the necessity of first obtaining a printed original or copy thereof.

The object of the invention is to provide a simple and eflicient process and apparatus whereby the matter for reproduction-more especially typographic composition or letterpress mattercan be quickly, accurately, and directly reproduced of the desired size and a correctly-engraved plate, gelatin film, 1ithographic stone, or other positive obtained without having, as heretofore generally required in this art, to first secure a printed original or copy of such matter.

A further object of the invention is to furnish a method of and means whereby the original matter or copy may be so assembled for direct reproduction that not only will shadows be eliminated, but an increased light be obtained around that part thereof which would ordinarily be especially subjected to shadow, wherebyby photography such reproduced matter will be brought out on the positive plate in a very clear and brilliant manner.

In the drawings accompanying and forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is a perspective view of one form of instrumentality or apparatus for carrying out one of the steps of the improved process and shows the typographic or matter support-s or supportingsurfaces so organized and the light so directed thereon as to eliminate shadow and obtain an increased or intensified light in the normal shadow regions thereof. This figure also illustrates the manner of emphasizingaword or words by so distributing 'or spacing the letters composing such word or words as to vary the distance between the same. Fig. 2

is a top View thereof, partly broken away.

mary objectof myimproved process.

Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse sectional view of the apparatus illustrated in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 illustrates, diagrammatically, the mode of emphasizing a line of matter, the upright or cross lines representing letters of the words; and Fig. 5 is a top view of a part of one of the frame-brackets and shows another man-' ner of assembling or organizing typographic supporting-surfaces, thereby to obtain space intervals at the sides intermediate the sup porting-surfaces of each row.

Similar characters of reference designate like parts in all the figures of the drawings.

In the photoreprod uction process as usually performed it is the practice first to set up in forms the type of the letter-press or other matter to be reduced and then obtain therefrom or from a printing-surface produced from such type an impression or printed copy, which copy is then reduced within certain limits by photography and the use of an ordinary camera in order to produce the positive plate from the negative so obtained. This not only requires considerable time and labor, thereby increasing the expense, but if it is desired to very greatly change the size or dimensions of the reproduced form it is necessary in practice completely to re-form the original in order to secure the required large decrease in size without at the same time practically destroying the clearness and value of the reproduction.

To obviate these serious defects is the pri- In the carrying out of one step of this process I use a series of independent supports or supportin g-su rfaces containing the mattersuch, for instance, as typographic or letter-press matter, such as a letteror other object to be reproducedwhereby these supportihg-surfaces constitute the original ororiginal matter to be reproduced and take the place of the ordinary type or the type impressions therefrom, so that when disposed or assembled in proper position the same can not only be directly reproduced without the necessity of obtaining a printed original or copy thereof, but can be shifted relatively to each other quickly and readily to increase or decrease the size of the assembled group. This manner of carrying out this step of the process has never heretofore been found practicable, owing mainly to the apparent impossibility of avoiding the dark or black lines surrounding the letter or object on the positive plate after reproduction, such lines being caused by the crevices intermediate the cards when the same are disposed in position edge to edge. I have discovered, however, that by a particular organization or assemblage of the original matter composed of such cards this shadow is not only avoided, but in addition thereto the reproduced matter on the positive plate can be relatively intensified as compared with the original matter. v

This improved process in a general way consists in first disposing or assembling in position in any suitable manner a series of supports or supporting-surfaces containing the matter to be reproduced and subjecting such matter so assembled to the action of light from such direction as to avoid shadow, and in the present instance the matter is subjected to light in such a manner as to illuminate the edges of such supporting-surfaces, whereby they one for another constitute illumi nators and shadow-eliminators, then subjecting such matter to photographic reproduction, thereby to form a reproduction or negative, and then treating or utilizing the reproduction or negative so obtained to form a printing-surface or positive.

In order to carry out the first step of this improved process, I form or place upon each of a plurality or series of suitable supportingsurfaces or supports, as 6, of any desired size and suitable material, transparent or otherwise, a part of the matter to be reproduced, shown in this instance as typographic or letter-press matter, such as letters, (designated by 7,) which may be of any practicable size, shape, and construction. These typographic su pporting-surfaces (each of which may carry one or more letters, as deemed desirable, and is of different photographical efficiency from the matter contained thereon in the form thereof herein shown and which may be their preferred form, if desired) are in the nature of cards and are so assembled or organized relatively to each other that they constitute the original containing the matter to be reduced. This organization is of importance, since in order to secure the desired results in the organization shown each matter-supporting surface should constitute a shadow-eliminator and an illuminator, and for this purpose such supportirig-surfaces are judiciously overlapped and the light so thrown thereon .that shadow will be avoided.

For the purpose of carrying out this first step of the process an improved instrumentality is provided adapted to support the cards in the desired positions, whereby they will constitute such illuminators and'shadoweliminators. This instrumentality in the con struction thereof shown comprises a suitable frame or rack, (designated in a general way by A.) This rack is supported in position in some suitable way-as, for instance, by uprights or legs 9-or the same may be suspended in position for use in any desired manner, as on a wall. Said frame is provided with supporting means for the cards or matter-supporting surfaces, and such supporting means in the structure shown comprises any desired number of removable brackets, illustrated herein, however, for the present purposes as four in number, 10, 10, 12, and 12, and disposed one above the other. Each bracket has a longitudinal slot or recess 13 in its upper side for the reception of the lower edges of the cards. Each of these brackets is ad justable longitudinally and also in a plane transversely of the plane of its longitudinal adjustment, and for this purpose the frame A is provided with a pair of slots 14, while each bracket is provided with a slot or slots 16, running lengthwise thereof and transversely of the plane of the f rame-slots 14, and which slots 16 terminate at the front side of said bracketin countersunk recesses 15. Projecting through these slots let and 16, preferably from the rear of the frame, is suitable bracket adjusting and holding means, shown herein as a series of bolts provided with thumb-nuts 17, the inner enlarged ends or heads 18 of which bolts fit into the counter sunk recesses 15, whereby the brackets are not only securely held in position, but on the manipulation of the thumb-nuts 17 each bracket can be adjusted lengthwise relatively to the bolts by means of the slots 16 and can also be adjusted up and down with the bolts by means of the slots 14 in the frame,

whereby one row of cards or supporting-surfaces can be adjusted as a whole into any desired position relatively to its companion rows or the entire line of matter removed without dissembling the same and a newline of matter substituted therefor, ,if desired. The brackets, however, are adjusted and secured at such distance apart that when the cards are in position the upper port-ion, as 20, of one row of cards will overlap the lower portion 21 of the adjacent upper row thereof, and the cards of each row are also so disposed relatively to each other that one side edge or portion, as 22, of one card will overlap the adjacent side edge or portion, as 23, of its companion card. From this it will be seen that a portion of each card of one row may overlap a portion of a pair of cards immediately above it, and for the present purposes and for brevity these overlapping portions will be termed herein the side and top overlaps, respectively. If instead of these side and top overlaps the cards were disposed -in the organization shown with their side and bottom edges in parallelism, the crevice thus formed between the adjacent cards would result in a dark or black line intermediate the letters on the positive plate after-reproduction, and hence, as above set forth, in order to obviate such lines-each card has one of its sides overlapped by one or the adjacent sides of its companion card of the same row and its lower portion overlapped by the top part of one or an adjacent card in the row below. These overlapping portions of the cards, however, when subjected to light at some angles may also tend to form a shadowintermediate the letters on the cards,which would likewise result in dark or black lines on the positive plate; but in this improved process the light is thrown or directed upon the cards in such manner and direction that the rays of light will strike directly on the edges of the overlapping cards, whereby instead of such overlapping portions or edges creating a shadow an intensified light, as '30, is obtained in the mannerhereinafter setforth around the overlapping edges or in the normal shadow region of such cards, thereby avoiding the production of dark lines on the printing-surface or positive plate. Owing to these overlapping portions of the cards, regulation of the space between the letters or words and also between the lines formed by the words can be readily obtained. hen it is desired to increase or decrease the space between the lines, this is done by adjusting the brackets relatively to each other, and when the space between the words or letters is to be regulated this is accomplished by shifting such cards sidewise or laterally, the cards being maintained in their proper adjusted or shifted positions by any suitable means; but in this structure springs 19 are shown employed for this purpose and are shown secured to the brackets in such position as properly to engage the rear of each card. By this space regulation an improved mode of emphasizing a word or words or an entire line or lines is also obtained. Hence one of the features of the present invention relates to the emphasizing of the reproduced matter. For this purpose I distribute or space the elements of the original or group so as to vary the distance in the line between the successive letters or characters or the lines thereof, and thereby give the same in the result an open or close or a light or dark effect, as may be required for the purposes of rhetorical emphasis or for increasing or reducing the relative importance of the respective groups or characters, such as words, of which the original matter is composed. By means of this process and apparatus this species of emphasis can be readily carried out to any required extent and furnishes to the author and printer a means not heretofore available for giving the reader a correct apprehension or understanding of the thought intended to be expressed, and all this without employing any special form or size of type and without employing any special marks of inflection or otherwise.

In order to permit the up-and-down adjustment above set forth of the rows of cards or supports relatively to each other, it is desirable that such rows of cards be disposed with a space or interval, as 24:, intermediate there-v of, as otherwise if the cards of one row closely overlapped or rested on the cards of an adjacent row the adjustment not only of the rows relatively to each other, but also of the cards in the same row would be impracticable, as one card would tend to displace or shift the others, owing to the overlapping portions thereof. The space interval 24 between the adjacent rows of cards may be of any suitable degree adapted to accomplish the purpose desired, and by means of the same the intensity of the light at these points 30 is also increased in the manner shortly to be set forth. lt'will also be understood that similar space intervals, as25, may be formed between the side overlapping edges of the cards of each row by forming the recesses or slots 13 somewhat wider, Fig. 5, or in any other suitable way, whereby by such space intervals the intensity of the light may also be increased at these points.

By means of the spaces 2 L and the side overlaps, together with the angle at which the light is thrown or directed on the cards, each card of the assembled group constitutes an illuminating and reflecting surface to dilfuse and reflect the rays of light, (see Fig. 1,) as such rays striking the side and top overlapping edges of the cards are diffused and radiated on the face of the rear or overlapped cards both at the side overlaps and at the space intervals thereof from which they are reflected, such reflected rays being again reflected back from the side edges and rear faces, respectively, of the overlapping cards, whereby an increased or intensified white light, as 30, is obtained around the letters, thereby avoiding or eliminating the shadow. Owing to this increased or intensified light 30 intermediate the letters at these points, when the next or reproduction step of the process takes place a negative is obtained which is free of any superfluous or transparent marks in the normal shadow region thereof-that is to say, there will be obtained a negative free or clear of any outlines in its normal shadow region which would permit the formation of marks on the positive intermediate and around the letter-press matter, so that the positive or printing surface or plate produced therefrom will be free of any superfluous marks or printing-surfaces in or around the proper typographic matter. and is therefore clear in its normal shadow region, whereby the letters or other typographic matter is brought out in a very brilliant, sharp, and clear manner.

When the cards are properly assembled or its organized relatively to each other into a group,

as above set forth, to thus constitute illumi-' nators and shadow-elim'inators, they are subjected to light at the proper angle, so that the rays directly strike the edges of the cards and thereby eliminate the side shadows, and the group is then photographically reproduced andthe negative formed, which negative is then utilized in anysuitable manner to consti tute or form a printing-surface-such, for instance, as a m etal platewhich is then treated in the usual or any suitable manner to form the desired printing-surface or positive.

From the foregoing it will be seen that owing to the organization of the cards whereby they constitute illuminators and shadoweliminators and the great diffusion of light at those parts which would ordinarily be subjected to shadow an intensified light is obtained around and between the letters, thus eliminating shadow at such points, whereby the'letter when reproduced on the negative holds its clearness through different stages of reduction, and the dark or black lines which ordinarily would be caused on the positive plate by the intermediate crevices were the cards disposed edge to edge are entirely avoided.

It will be understood that any means or instrumentality adapted to support these matter-supporting surfaces in the manner set forth may be used for that purpose, and I therefore do not limit myself to the particular construction of apparatus herein shownl It will also be understood that by the specific tern cards as used herein is not necessarily meant a card of pasteboard, since such cards may be composed of any material as celluloid, metal, or otherwiseand of any suitable construction and size, the term being herein used for the present purposes simply to designate an object of that general form or character.

It will be understood that while the several lines or rows of matter to be photographed are arranged at slightly-different distances from the lens of the camera yet by merely adjusting the camera to compensate for the difference in position of such rows they can all be focused simultaneously, so that each row of typographic matter may be practically of the same size as every other row.

In conclusion it will be seen that by means of this improved process a printing surface or plate can be obtained in a direct manner directly from the original matter, Whereas heretofore this printing surface or plate was only obtained in an indirect manner-that is to say, by first setting up the type in a form and then obtaining from the type so set up a print or copy, which constituted the original to be reproduced. By the present process the original used is not necessarily made by or produced from type, and hence the use of type may be entirely done away with, and thereby the enormous cost thereof, as the cost of the original is inconsiderable as compared with the cost of type and, unlike type,will not wear out under constant usage, and therefore does not have to be renewed; that, moreover, from this one original any desired size of face type can be secured-such as nonpareil, brevier, bourgeois, long primer, or pica and largerwhereas heretofore it has been necessary in order to secure or obtain a reproduction corresponding with each of these sizes of type to have a separate font of each, thus necessitating an outlay of many thousands of dollars, which is entirely dispensed with by this improved process. Furthermore, it will be seen that in setting type they are necessarily disposed in reverse manner and have to be read backward, so that a proof is the only practicable way of detecting errors in the matter. In the use of this original, however, the matter to be reproduced can be set up in a proper readable manner, thus necessitating no proof and permitting the operator to readily detect errors.

Having thus described my invention, I claim- 1. That improvement in the art of photoreproduetion, which consists in disposing in position with overlapping side edges a series of supporting-surfaces containing matter to be reproduced, and subjecting the same to light in such. manner as to directly illuminate the lapping edges of such supporting-surfaces, whereby they one for another constitute illuminators and shadow-eliminators for illuminating the normal shadow region of the surfaces.

2. That improvement in the art of photoreproduction, which consists in first disposing in position a series of supporting-surfaces containing matter to be reproduced, and subjecting the same to light in such manner as to cause the rays thereof to strike the edges of the supporting surfaces, whereby they one for another constitute illuminators and shadow-eliminators forilluminating the normal shadow region of the surfaces; and then subjecting the same to photographic reproduction, thereby to obtain a negative free of transparent or superfluous marks in the shadow region thereof.

3. That improvement in the art of photoreproduction, which consists in first disposing in position a series of supporting-surfaces containing matter to be reproduced, and subjecting the same to light in such manner as to cause the rays thereof to strike the edges of the supporting-s11 rfaces, whereby they one for another constitute illuminators and shadoweliminators, and thereby illuminate the normal shadow region of such supports; then subjecting the same to photographic reproduction to obtain a negative; and then utilizing such negative to form a positive clear in the normal shadow region thereof.

4. That improvement in the art of photoreproduction, which consists in first disposing supporting surfaces provided with typographic matter into an assembled group or set to be reproduced, and subjecting the same to the action of light in such manner as to illuminate the edges of such surfaces, whereby the surfaces constitute illuminators and shadow-eliminator's, and thereby a diffused, increased, or intensified light is obtained in the normal shadow region of the assembled surfaces; then subjecting the same to photographic reproduction, thereby to obtain a negative; and then utilizing such negative to form a positive clear in the normal shadow region thereof.

5. In an apparatus of the class specified, the combination with a supporting instrument-ality, of a series of removable supporting-surfaces carried thereby and containing matter to be reproduced, each supportingsurface being overlapped by, and overlapping, one of its companion supporting-surfaces at the side thereof, whereby such supports constitute shadow eliminators when subjected to the proper light. 7

6. In an apparatus of the class specified, the combination with a supporting instrumentality, of a plurality of supporting-surfaces, containing matter to be reproduced, carried by said instrumentalityand disposed in rows one above another, each row comprising a plurality of said surfaces, and each surface being overlapped by, and overlapping, one of its companion surfaces at the sides thereof, the surfaces of one row overlapping those of an adjacent row, and said rows having intermediate thereof space intervals, whereby the surfaces constitute illuminators and shadow-eliminators when subjected to the proper light.

'7. In an apparatus of the class specified, the combination with a supporting instrumentality, of a series of shiftable supportingsurfaces, containing matter to be reproduced, carried bysaid instrumentality, and disposed in rows, one complete row overlapping another complete row, and one side of each said surface overlapping the adjacent side of its companion surface in each row.

8. In an apparatus of the class specified, the combination with a supporting instrumentality, of a series of typographic supporting-surfaces carried thereby, each shiftable in one direction, said supporting-su rfaces being disposed in overlapping rows, with space intervals intermediate the overlapped and overlapping portions thereof, and each row being shiftable as a whole in an intersecting direction, one side of each supporting-surface overlapping the adjacent side of its companion supporting-surface.

9. In an apparatus of the class specified, the combination of a frame; adjustable supporting means carried thereby; and a series of typographic supporting-surfaces, substantially as described, carried by said supporting means and set to have overlapping edges.

10. In an apparatus of the class specified, the combination of a supporting-frame having a series of bra'ckets disposed in rows, springs carried thereby; and a series of typographic supporting-surfaces shiftably carried by said brackets, and containing matter to be reproduced, one row of supports overlapping a portion of the adjacent row thereof with space intervals intermediate such overlapping por tions, and each support of each row having one of its sides overlapping one of the sides of its adjacent companion support.

row thereof with space intervals intermediate such overlapping portions, and each support of each row having one of its sides overlapping one of the sides of its adjacent companion supporting-surface; and means for securing the brackets in their adjusted positions.

12. That improvement in the art of reproduction which consists in first disposin gin position a plurality of supporting-surfaces containin g matter to be reproduced, and subjecting such surfaces to light from a direction which will illuminate the normal shadow regions thereof and avoid shadow in such shadow regions, and then reproducing the matter contained on said supporting-surfaces.

13. That improvement in the art of reproduction which consists in disposing in position with overlapping parts a plurality of supporting-surfaces containing matter to be reproduced, and subjecting the surfaces to light from a direction which will illuminate the normal shadow regions thereof and avoid shadow adjacent to such overlapping parts, and then reproducing the matter contained on said supporting-surfaces.

14. The combination, with a supportingframe, of a plurality of supporting-surfaces carried thereby and containing matter to be reproduced, one supporting-surface overlapping another, so that when subjected to the proper light shadow is avoided adjacent to the overlapping parts of such surfaces.

15. The combination, with a supportingframe, ofa plurality of supporting-surfaces carried thereby and containing matter to be reproduced, said supporting-surfaces being disposed in rows, one row overlapping another, so that when subjected to the proper light shadowis avoided adjacent to such overlapping rows.

- 16. The combination, with a supportingframe, of adjustable supporting means carried thereby, and a plurality of removable supporting-surfaces carried by said supporting means and set to have overlapping edges, each of said surfaces containing matter to be reproduced.

17. The combination ofa supporting-frame; adjustable supporting means carried thereby; and a plurality of shiftable supporting-surfaces carried by said supporting means and set to have overlapping edges, each of said surfaces containing matter to be reproduced.

18. The combination of a supporting-frame; adjustable supporting means carried thereby; and a plurality of shiftable and removable planes; and a plurality of supporting-surfaces carried by said supporting-frame and set to have overlapping edges, each of said surfaces containing matter to be reproduced.

21. The combination ofasupporting-frame; adjust-able supporting means removably carried thereby and adjustable in intersecting planes; and a plurality of shiftable supporting-surfaces removably carried by said supporting means and set to have overlapping edges, each of said supporting-surfaces having matter thereon to be reproduced.

22. That improvement in the art of reproduction which consists in disposing in position, so as to avoid shadow in the normal shadow regions thereof, a plurality of independently-shiftable supporting-surfaces containing matter to be reproduced, and then reproducingthe matter contained on said supporting-surfaces.

23. That improvement in the art of reproduction which consists in disposing in position With overlapping portions a plurality of supporting-surfaces containing matter to be reproduced, and then reproducing the matter contained on said supporting-surfaces.

JOHN T. BENTLEY.

Witnesses:

C. A. WEED, EDWARD A. MEAD. 

